Attachable Condiment Cup Assembly

ABSTRACT

A condiment cup assembly ( 10 ) and methods for attachment to a beverage container ( 14 ) is provided. The assembly includes a beverage container cover ( 16 ) having an outer edge ( 18 ) and a perforation ( 20 ) centrally positioned, a drinking straw ( 22 ) inserted through the perforation, a condiment container including a vertical sidewall ( 26 ) defining a top opening ( 28 ) for accessing a storage space ( 32 ) of the condiment container, and an integral attachment arm ( 30 ) connected to the vertical sidewall, the integral attachment arm including a coupling portion ( 34 ). The condiment container is attached to the beverage container cover via the coupling portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present inventions relates to food and condiment containers in thefield of fast-food packaging and containers, and more particularly to adisposable condiment container intended for use with a conventionalbeverage container cover.

2. Brief Description of the Related Art

Currently in today's fast paced society, food is consumed on the go.Fast food restaurants profit through their ability to create food forthe public that is both filling and can be prepared and consumed at anaccelerated pace. The majority of such eating establishments offer drivethrough services where the consumer can order, pay for and then consumetheir food while never leaving their vehicle. This creates a problem forthe consumer by having to both eat and drink while driving.

Most fast food meals typically contain a main dish, such as a burger orsandwich, a secondary dish, such as french fries or onion rings, and abeverage. Consumers are confronted with the problem of organizing theirmeal in such a way that they can eat and also drive safely. Most of thetime, the secondary meal is accompanied with a condiment. The condimentsrange from ketchup to ranch style dressing and are intended for use withthe fries or onion rings. As such, the organizational problem of theconsumer is increased when the consumer desires to dip their fries oronion rings into the condiment.

A solution to this problem is to provide a condiment container that hasthe ability to attach itself to an already present container such as thebox of fries or beverage container. Prior art containers have beendesigned to achieve this solution but their design and functionality donot accomplish a satisfactory result. The fast food market is still voidof any condiment container that is easy to use and convenient for theconsumer.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,297 to Nance describes the idea of attaching asecondary condiment container with a prong to an associated foodcontainer such as a French fries box. This design does not solve theproblem of allowing the consumer to drive safely while dipping theirfood in the condiment container. In a vehicle, there are typicallystorage compartments to place beverages while driving. However, thereare no convenient areas to place in a fixed upright position the Frenchfries box. As such, the consumer still does not have the ability toconveniently use the condiment with the meal.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,864 to Asselin discloses a condiment container thatsurrounds the drinking straw of the beverage container. While this doesallow for the consumer to have the condiment fixed to a container whichis situated in a cup holder of the vehicle, such condiment container isnot optimal. The container requires that the consumer dip around thestraw, thereby having the straw as an obstacle in the dipping process.Further, the surface area is minimal and the amount of condiment whichcan be successfully used is hindered.

The presently claimed invention has many advantages over the prior art.This invention provides for a disposable condiment container intendedfor use with a conventional beverage container cover. The condimentcontainer is unobstructed and has an ease of use, as it is attached tothe cover via an integral arm. This allows for the condiment containerto be positioned on the side of the beverages container rather thanobstructed by the straw on the top of the beverage container or on theside of a fries container which does not sit in the vehicle cup holder.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, in a first aspect of the present invention a condimentcontainer is provided. The condiment container including a verticalsidewall defining a top opening for accessing a storage space of thecondiment container and an integral attachment are connected to thevertical sidewall, the integral attachment arm including a couplingportion, wherein the coupling portion is capable of attaching thecondiment container to a beverage container or a beverage containercover.

In another aspect of the present invention a condiment cup assembly forattachment to a beverage container is provided, Said condiment cupassembly comprising: (i) a beverage container cover having an outer edgeand a perforation centrally positioned for the insertion of a drinkingstraw, and (ii) a condiment container as described in the presentinvention.

In a further aspect of the present invention a beverage containerassembly is provided. Said beverage container assembly comprising: (i) abeverage container, (ii) a condiment cup assembly as described in thepresent invention, and optionally a drinking straw.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention of the present application will now be described in moredetail with reference to preferred embodiments of the apparatus andmethod, given only by way of example, and with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective side view of a condiment cup assemblyfor attachment to a conventional beverage container;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective top view of multiple condimentcontainers in combination with a conventional beverage container;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective side view of another embodiment of thepresent invention including a condiment container coupled to aconventional beverage container by means of an integral attachment armand a drinking straw;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective top view of another embodiment of thepresent invention including a condiment container coupled to aconventional beverage container by means of an integral attachment armand a drinking straw;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective side view of a curved concave shapedcondiment container in combination with a conventional beveragecontainer;

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective top view of a curved concave shapedcondiment container in combination with a conventional beveragecontainer;

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective side view of a cone shaped condimentcontainer in combination with a conventional beverage container;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart useful in describing an exemplary methodof the present invention; and

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart useful in describing another exemplarymethod of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

According to a first exemplary embodiment, a condiment cup assembly forattachment to a beverage container may be provided. The assemblyincludes a beverage container cover having an outer edge and aperforation centrally positioned, a drinking straw may be insertedthrough the perforation, a condiment container including a verticalsidewall defining a top opening for accessing a storage space of thecondiment container, and an integral attachment arm connected to thevertical sidewall. The integral attachment arm includes a couplingportion. The condiment container may be attached to the beveragecontainer cover via the coupling portion of the attachment arm.

Preferably, the coupling portion may be attached to an outer edge of thebeverage container cover. In an embodiment of the present invention thebeverage container cover includes a grove and the coupling portionincludes a downwardly extending portion. This downwardly extendingportion of the coupling portion may be coupled with the grove of thebeverage container cover. This causes the condiment container to beattached to the beverage container cover and preferably positioning thecondiment container on the side of the beverage container.

The perforation provided may not be in contact with the condimentcontainer.

In a further embodiment of the present invention the coupling portionmay be formed as a spear having a pike capable of penetrating thebeverage container or the beverage container cover. This causes thecondiment container to be attached to the beverage container cover andpreferably positioning the condiment container on the side of thebeverage container.

In yet an embodiment of the present invention the coupling portion mayinclude a coupling hole centrally positioned. Preferably, the condimentcontainer may be attached to the beverage container cover via thedrinking straw and the coupling hole, said coupling hole may becentrally positioned. This causes the condiment container to be attachedto the beverage container cover and preferably positioning the condimentcontainer on the side of the beverage container.

In an embodiment of the present invention the condiment containerfurther includes a prepackaged condiment located in the storage space.Preferably, the condiment container include a sealing lid removableattached to the top opening.

The shape of the condiment container may be a conical geometry orconcave geometry aligned with the beverage container

In another exemplary embodiment, a method of attaching a condiment cupassembly to a beverage container having a top opening is provided. Themethod includes the steps of placing a cover on the beverage container,the cover having an outer edge and a perforation centrally positioned,inserting a drinking straw through the perforation centrally positioned,providing a condiment container including an integral attachment armhaving a coupling portion, and attaching the condiment cup assembly tothe beverage container solely through the integral attachment arm andthe drinking straw.

In yet another exemplary embodiment is disclosed a method of attaching acondiment cup assembly to a beverage container. The method includes thesteps of placing a cover on the beverage container, the cover having anouter edge and a grove, providing a condiment container including anintegral attachment arm having a coupling portion, inserting thecoupling portion into the grove, and attaching the condiment cupassembly to the beverage container solely through the integralattachment arm and the grove.

An advantage of the present invention is to provide the user the abilityto use a condiment container in conjunction with a vehicle cup holder.The condiment container is unobstructed since it is not positionedthrough a drinking straw. It is attached to the cover via an integralarm which allows for the condiment container to be positioned on theside of the beverage container, so that the condiment container is fullyutilized. Positioning on the side of the beverage container allows theuser to utilize the already present vehicle cup holder rather than beingpositioned on the associated food container which does not have apermanent storage placement within the vehicle.

Another advantage of the present invention is to allow for more than onecondiment container to be attached to the beverage container.

Another advantage of the present invention is to allow for the condimentto be prepackaged in the container so that the consumer does not have toadd the condiment to the container but rather only remove the disposablesealing lid. Fast food companies and condiment manufactures can thenprepackage the condiment allowing for an ease of use to the consumer.

Still other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from areading of the following detailed description of embodiments constructedin accordance therewith, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

Referring to the drawing figures, like reference numerals designateidentical or corresponding elements throughout the several figures.

The invention provided is a condiment cup assembly for attachment to abeverage container. FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective side view of acondiment cup assembly 10 for attachment to a conventional beveragecontainer 14. By way of example and not by limitation, the assembly 10may include a beverage container cover 16, a drinking straw 22, acondiment container 24 and a integral attachment arm 30. The beveragecontainer cover 16 includes an outer edge 18 and a perforation 20centrally positioned. The drinking straw 22 may bed inserted through theperforation 20. The condiment container 24 includes a vertical sidewall26 which defines a top opening 28 for accessing a storage space 32 ofthe condiment container 24. The integral attachment arm 30 is connectedto the vertical sidewall 26 and includes a coupling portion 34 locatedopposite of the vertical sidewall 26. The condiment container 24 isattached to the beverage container cover 16 via the coupling portion.

In an exemplary embodiment, the coupling portion 34 is attached to theouter edge 18. By way of example and not limitation, the outer edge 18of the beverage container cover 16 may include a grove 19. The couplingportion 34 of the integral attachment arm 30 includes a downwardlyextending portion 36. The downwardly extending portion 36 is coupledwith the grove 19 creating an attachment of the condiment container 24to the beverage container cover 16 trough frictional connection.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective top view of multiple condimentcontainers 24 in combination with a conventional beverage container 14.The condiment containers 24 are attached to the beverage container cover16 by inserting the downwardly extending portion 35 of the integralattachment arm 30 coupling portion 34 into the grove 19 of the beveragecontainer cover 16. The downwardly extending portion 36 is best viewedin FIG. 1.

FIG. 3. illustrates a perspective side view of another embodiment of thepresent invention including a condiment container 24 coupled to aconventional beverage container 14 by means of an integral attachmentarm 30 and a drinking straw 22. FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective topview of the embodiment. The coupling portion 34 includes a coupling hole38 centrally positioned. The condiment container 24 is attached to thebeverage container 14 buy means of the drinking straw 22 placed throughthe coupling hole 38.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the condiment container24 further includes a sealing lid 40 removably attached to the topopening 28. The condiment container may then be prepackaged with acondiment located in the storage space 32. By way of example and notlimitation, the prepackaged condiment may be ketchup, mayonnaise,mustard, ranch dressing, salsa or other types of condiments commonlyfound in the fast food industry.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective side view of the condiment container 24that is a curved concave shape. FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective topview of the curved concave shaped condiment container 24 in combinationwith a conventional beverage container 14. FIG. 7 illustrates aperspective side view of the condiment container 24 that is cone shaped.

Now referring to FIG. 8 which illustrates a flowchart useful indescribing an exemplary method of the present invention. Provided is amethod 200 for attaching a condiment cup assembly 10 to a beveragecontainer 14. The method 200 begins with placing a cover 16 on thebeverage container 14, the cover having an outer edge 18 and aperforation 20 centrally positioned, as indicated in step 210. Next isinserting a drinking straw 22 through the perforation 20, as indicatedin step 220. Then providing a condiment container 24 including anintegral attachment arm 30 having a coupling portion 34, as indicated instep 230. Next is attaching the condiment cup assembly 10 to thebeverage container 14 solely be means of the integral attachment arm 30and the drinking straw 22, as indicated in step 240.

Now referring to FIG. 9 which illustrates a flowchart useful indescribing another exemplary method of the present invention. Providedis a method 300 for attaching a condiment cup assembly 10 to a beveragecontainer 14. The method 300 begins with placing a cover 16 on thebeverage container, as indicated in step 310. The cover 16 includes anouter edge 18 and a grove 19. Next is providing a condiment container 24including an integral attachment arm 30 having a coupling portion 34, asindicated in step 320. Then inserting the coupling portion 34 into thegrove 19, as indicated in step 330. Finally attaching the condiment cupassembly 10 to the beverage container 16 solely through the integralattachment arm 30 and the grove 19, as indicated in step 340.

While the invention has been described in detail with reference topreferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to one skilled in theart that various changes can be made, and equivalents employed, withoutdeparting form the scope of the invention.

1. A condiment container including a vertical sidewall defining a topopening for accessing a storage space of the condiment container and anintegral attachment are connected to the vertical sidewall, the integralattachment arm including a coupling portion, wherein the couplingportion is capable of attaching the condiment container to a beveragecontainer or a beverage container cover.
 2. A condiment containeraccording to claim 1, wherein the coupling portion is attached to anouter edge of the beverage container cover.
 3. A condiment containeraccording to claim 2, wherein the outer edge of the beverage containercover includes a grove and the coupling portion includes a downwardlyextending portion.
 4. A condiment container according to claim 3,wherein the downwardly extending portion of the coupling portion iscoupled with the grove of the beverage container cover.
 5. A condimentcontainer according to claim 1, wherein the coupling portion is formedas a spear having a pike capable of penetrating the beverage containeror the beverage container cover.
 6. A condiment container according toclaim 1, wherein the coupling portion includes a coupling hole centrallypositioned.
 7. The condiment container according to claim 1, wherein thecondiment container further includes a sealing lid removably attached tothe top opening.
 8. The condiment container according to claim 7,wherein the condiment container further includes a prepackaged condimentlocated in the storage space.
 9. The condiment container according toclaim 1, wherein the condiment container has a conical geometry.
 10. Thecondiment container according to claim 1, wherein the condimentcontainer has a concave geometry aligned with the beverage container.11. A condiment cup assembly for attachment to a beverage containercomprising: (i) a beverage container cover having an outer edge and aperforation centrally positioned for the insertion of a drinking straw,and (ii) a condiment container as described in claim
 1. 12. A condimentcup assembly according to claim 11, wherein the perforation is not incontact with the condiment container.
 13. The assembly according toclaim 11, wherein the condiment container is attached to the beveragecontainer cover via the drinking straw and the coupling hole.
 14. Abeverage container assembly comprising: (i) a beverage container, and(ii) a condiment container as described in claim 1, (iii) and optionallya drinking straw.
 15. A beverage container assembly according to claim14, wherein the beverage container assembly comprises a condiment cupassembly comprising a beverage container cover having an outer edge anda perforation centrally positioned for the insertion of a drinkingstraw, and a condiment container including a vertical sidewall defininga top opening for accessing a storage space of the condiment containerand an integral attachment are connected to the vertical sidewall, theintegral attachment arm including a coupling portion, wherein thecoupling portion is capable of attaching the condiment container to abeverage container or a beverage container cover.
 16. A method ofattaching a condiment cup assembly to a beverage container comprisingthe steps of: placing a cover on the beverage container, the coverhaving an outer edge and a perforation centrally positioned; inserting adrinking straw through the perforation centrally positioned; providing acondiment container including an integral attachment arm having acoupling portion; and attaching the condiment cup assembly to thebeverage container solely through the integral attachment arm and thedrinking straw.
 17. A method of attaching a condiment cup assembly to abeverage container comprising the steps of: placing a cover on thebeverage container, the cover having an outer edge and a grove;providing a condiment container including an integral attachment armhaving a coupling portion; inserting the coupling portion into thegrove; and attaching the condiment cup assembly to the beveragecontainer solely through the integral attachment arm and the grove.